'Serious Pie' on Serious Eats

While the major hubs in the Pacific Northwest don't have a pizza tradition, there are plenty of passionate pizza people that have opened up shop in Seattle and Portland. The pizza landscape has changed dramatically in the last seven years, so much so that Portland and Seattle seem to be leading the charge in the pizza renaissance. And despite not having regional styles steeped in history, pizzerias in the Pacific Northwest are putting their own stamp on Neopartisinal pies through local sourcing, creative toppings, and new approaches, all of which perpetuate the evolution of pizza. More

Most great pizzerias are the product of one compulsive, obsessive person who lives and dies with every pie. Is it possible for a pizzeria to expand beyond two locations and maintain the quality that makes them great? It's like pizza-obsessed folks have decided that their collective ovens get too hot for them to consider adding a third pizzeria. More

"It's like French kissing a forest nymph!" [Photograph: Leslie Kelly] Leslie Kelly (former critic for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and columnist on Serious Eats) just emailed me. Subject line: Ever had nettles on pizza? That's the thang this "spring" in Seattle... at Serious Pie and Delancey. At Serious Pie (picture) they were creamed and served with black trumpet mushrooms... YUM!! Might be of interesting to ask Slice readers: What's the most exotic ingredient you've had on a pizza?... More

[Photograph: Adam Kuban] Serious Pie 316 Virginia Street, Seattle WA 98101 (map); 206-838-7388‎; website Pizza Style: Artisanal Oven Type: Wood-fired The Skinny: The crust is soft and incredibly airy but takes most of its crispness from a dusting of cornmealsemolina. The Margherita is good, but the real thing to get here is the sausage-and-cherry-bomb-pepper pie. It's amazing. Price: $14 to $16. Happy hour half-pies are $5 M–F, 3–5 p.m. After 48 hours of reminiscing, hanging out with old friends, and eating a boatload of pizza in Portland, my next stop was Seattle, aka Jet City, aka the Emerald City,... More

Daniel Zemans, our man in Chicago, checks in with another piece of intel from the road, this time Seattle. --The Mgmt. My camera is level; the ground in Seattle is not. [Photographs: Daniel Zemans] Serious Pie 316 Virginia St., Seattle, WA 98101 (map); (206) 838-7388‎; Website Pizza Style: Artisanal Oven Type: Wood-fired The Skinny: The Restaurant King of Seattle turns out some top-quality pies with top-notch ingredients and an incredibly airy crust Price: Pies range from $14 to $16. During happy hour, 3–5 p.m., M–F, half-sized pies are available for $5 each After three fantastic days on Orcas Island, an... More